Test Drive: 2011 Nissan Sentra 2.0

By Kevin Harrison

I never understood why anyone would buy canned goods. Price advantage aside, the ‘real’ version of peaches, mushrooms, chicken, and tuna etc can all be found in the very same grocery store. It’s all just one aisle over. So buying canned goods is not a convenience thing. Some people apparently just prefer to buy canned versions of above mentioned items. And I suppose there’s nothing wrong with that, however, I prefer my food to be more, shall we say, pure.

This sort of discrepancy sometimes happens with car manufacturers too, and I’ve noticed it with Nissan especially. While the Maxima may be marketed as being of a more sporting nature, and it’s design perhaps more compelling, the Altima is almost identical in size, available power, sharp looks, but costs way less.  This is true of the Versa and the Sentra as well. Why would anyone take a Sentra over a Versa when you get just as much space, more versatility (that’s probably where the Versa gets its name from), better fuel economy and costs less? Does that not make the Sentra redundant? But the public is preferring the Sentra to the Versa. In fact, the Sentra sells approximately two thirds more Sentras than they do Versas.

So, what’s the big draw? I drove the latest version of the Sentra to find out.

Nissan’s Sentra is about a 4 year old design, however it seems as if the Sentra was in need of a refresh years ago. It seems a bit tired looking as Nissan has not significantly changed or refreshed the design over the years. For 2011, Nissan has refreshed the front facia giving it a more corporate look with the signature Nissan grille, larger emblem and restyled front turn indicators. There’s also a few new colours to choose from and new interior cloth. That’s it. My tester had the optional value package which added 16 inch alloys and a trunk mounted spoiler, 60/40 rear seats, keyless entry, A/C, and power mirrors. The package costs about $2,000 however, with current Nissan incentives, Nissan will throw it for free. The added cosmetic upgrades definitely help with the tired looking exterior, but a complete redesign really needs to be in the cards here.

The interior is a decent place to be, however hard plastics are in abundance. All the controls are excellently placed and the seats are fairly comfortable. One gripe however is that they are not height adjustable. One thing I did notice is that all the mirrors never seem to be in the right position, no matter how many times you adjust them. This could be attributed to the fact that they are a bit smaller than average side and rear view mirrors. There is a decent amount of rear seat and cargo room. The Sentra’s interior is adequate for sure, but is mostly outdone by competitors such as the Honda Civic, Ford Focus and Chevy’s new Cruze, which exude a more premium feel. A big cubby hole right behind the gear shift is quite nifty and much appreciated. The stereo sounds about what you’d expect it to sound like in this price point. With such a high rear deck, backing up the Sentra is somewhat challenging but that rear spoiler isn’t completely useless as it provides a bit of point of reference when reversing.

The Sentra is powered by a 2.0 litre four producing 140 horsepower and 147 pound feet of torque. Acceleration is, again, adequate but outdone in terms of refinement from other makes in the class. The optional CVT, however, is smooth. While I’m not a fan of CVT transmissions in general, this one is quite nice. There is no optional manual mode, but since the transmission is so good, it’s almost as if it doesn’t really need one anyway. A six speed manual is standard if you prefer to row the gears yourself. Which you really should. Besides, the six speed manual will at least make the Sentra feel faster. The CVT gives a feeling slowness when pushed since there’s no rise-and-fall RMPs.

The Sentra’s road manners are more Buick like (that is, the old school Buick of yesterday) than performance oriented. This means vehicles such as the Mazda3, Ford Focus and even the new Chevy Cruze have it beat for sportier driving, but the Sentra still offers decently weighted steering -even if it oddly does not translate into much road feel. Still, throw the Sentra into a corner and it will do its best to stay composed even if it loses that composure more often than not.  It’s clear that the Sentra is a bread and butter point A to point B car, not a thrill inducing compact. It may not excite the senses, but what it will do is get you to where you need to go quietly, comfortably and frugally.

Speaking of, with the help of the CVT transmission, the Sentra is able to achieve a combined fuel efficiency rating of 5.8 L/100 kms. Pretty respectable, but with new engines coming from Chevrolet and Honda, the Sentra’s 2.0 litre is outdone in the fuel efficiency category as well. I had the opportunity to take the Sentra down to Bridgewater and I averaged about 6.0 L/100 kms. Not bad at all, but I imagine it could have been better if my tester had cruise control as standard. Even without cruise control, the Sentra exudes a sense of refinement on the highway. It feels more stable than the Versa and certainly has more available passing power.

Which brings me back to my original question: is there still a need for the Sentra since the Versa seems just as capable for less money? Yes. While I feel as though the Sentra is a bit behind the pack in the compact market, it definitely has its place. And when compared to the Versa, you get a much more refined, better looking car that will likely do better at keeping its value and offers quite a variety within the trim levels. The hotted up SE-R comes to mind, for instance, for those who desire an extra kick of performance. The Versa offers no such option.

With that said, the Sentra is still the canned fruit of the car world. It’s not entirely ideal in certain situations, and it’s definitely cheaper (Nissan Canada has pretty decent incentives right now) but getting rid of it seems, well, wrong. Once a complete redesign is on the table, I would suspect that the next generation Sentra will upgrade to fresh fruit.

Base Price: $15,398

Pros:

  • Smooth, efficient CVT
  • Respectable power
  • Comfortable ride
  • Lots of interior storage

Cons:

  • Tired looking exterior
  • Tired looking interior
  • Hard plastics
  • Uninspiring drive
  • Difficult rear visibility
  • Sub-par sounding stereo

Overall: 6/10

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1 Response to "Test Drive: 2011 Nissan Sentra 2.0"

  1. I can understand why the Sentra sells more than the Versa, it is clearly upscale, but in its segment, the Sentra gets a little lost.
    Nissan could have done a great car (it has a lot of qualities), but ended up doing a regular car. Sentra’s proposal seems to be different from that of his brand-brothers Altima and Maxima, which are one of the bests in their categories and IMO have excellent handling.

    I appreciate Sentra’s stability, Nissan did a good suspension set. Acceleration is good and one thing that impresses is the fact that the engine is very smooth and has little vibration.

    I still think it’s a good buy for people looking for comfort, especially with the CVT.

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